It’s a Jungle Out There

Unlike our ancient ancestors, modern Web users don’t need to defend themselves against all manner of physical danger—from starvation to saber-toothed tigers to scarlet fever. But sitting in front of a glowing computer, sometimes for eight hours a day, has its own dangers. It has made people vigilant about protecting themselves from the barrage of ads and useless material multiplying on the Web. Users have developed instinctive and nearly instant ways to weed them out, almost without even looking at them. Ignoring unhelpful ads is simply a survival technique.

This evolution of the Web user is a rapid and unforgiving process. As fast as ads and user interface (UI) elements transform, so do users. Even new users quickly learn about user interfaces and the UI elements that will help or hinder them. It’s not clear if people even realize that they are purposefully “defending themselves” by avoiding poorly laid-out text or unrelated animations on the Web, but they certainly do it when they think information or ads might waste their time or, worse, open a myriad of pop-up windows they did not mean to conjure.